


A Fateful Meeting

by ScribeOnTheSide



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff and Angst, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, game dialogue use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9140206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribeOnTheSide/pseuds/ScribeOnTheSide
Summary: The initial meeting of Ike and Ranulf.  Stayed very close to canon with a few additions here and there.This was an experiment using the game script.  This started when I began to look into the full story of this relationship.  Most of the dialogue comes directly from the game with some things changed or added to make it read better.  There are a few places where I kept the spirit of the situation but may have changed the location and those present.





	

The tall blue-haired mercenary felt his adrenaline surge as he turned to face the incoming threat. Soldiers he didn’t recognize were pouring into the battlefield, none bearing an insignia that he could identify.  
“Blast! Enemy reinforcements!” Looking back over his shoulder, he located Commander Greil, who was engaged in hand to hand combat.  
“Father! Let’s get out of here. There are too many…”

Ike turned to engage the newcomers but was startled to see the Daein soldiers retreating from them. On closer look, the new fighters were not altogether…human…looking. 

At the head of the troops was a thin wiry fighter with spiky teal-colored hair and a commanding presence. Ike noticed that two furry cat-like ears emerged from his orangish-brown hat and a long blue tail bristled out behind him. One of the local sub-humans? he thought.

“Attention, Daein soldiers! Leave this place at once! If you do not comply immediately, you will face Gallia's full strength!” the leader of the incoming Gallian troops roared, his ears flattened back against his head, giving him a fierce appearance.

Ike was impressed at how rapidly the Daein left the field but was uneasy at how fast the Gallians corralled his father’s mercenaries. However, once he saw Princess Elincia, he knew these were friends, not foes, and relaxed a little. The Gallian leader escorted the princess over to the Commander. The Commander seemed too distracted to even notice them. Ike glanced over at him, stepping up to approaching parties when his father didn’t respond. 

He prepared a formal greeting but all good intentions fell away when he looked up and directly into the eyes of the cat-like man before him. With one pale green and one deep violet eye, the Gallian pinned Ike with a piercing look, wild and proud. Ike swallowed the words, feeling the weight of the assessing gaze on him. What...no, who… was this man?

“Are you one of Gallia’s sub-humans?” he blurted out before he could stop himself, internally cringing as the other man’s face hardened. 

“Sub-human? You think yourselves the only ones worthy of the name “human”, so we laguz must be beneath you? We are less than human to you, is that it?”  
The man began to angrily turn back towards his troops. 

Ike mentally kicked himself for being tactless again. He needed to smooth this over and maybe, if possible, get this man’s name at least.

“Wait, please!” Ike gave a slight bow in the other man’s direction as he looked back.  
“I’m sorry. I...I don’t know any other name for you. If I’ve offended, I apologize. What should I call you? You called yourself ‘laguz’. Would that be more appropriate?”

The laguz paused then turned back with a puzzled look, meeting Ike’s gaze steadily.  
“ You show manners, beorc. How odd.”  
He thought for a moment then stepped back towards the group, smiling.  
“I like that. Now, you are... Who, exactly?”

His smile threatened to steal Ike’s words away again but he managed to pull himself together.  
“My name is Ike. Ike of the Greil Mercenaries.”

He held out his hand. The other man hesitated then took it firmly.  
“I’m Ranulf, a warrior of Gallia.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After some discussion, it was decided that bringing the mercenaries back to the king right away wiht no explanation would not be the best course of action. Instead Princess Elincia would go present their case at the castle and send for them.

While Ranulf escorted the princess back to King Caineghis, his thoughts drifted back to the young fighter he’d just met. Ike’s acceptance of his mistake and willingness to correct himself intrigued him. He also had to admit that, while relatively hairless, Ike’s unruly shock of blue hair and guileless azure eyes made it hard to focus on much else during the long march back to the castle. That beorc was a pretty one, that’s for sure. Ranulf sighed and shook his head a little. He really needed to get out more. Looking at a human, of all things. Even one built like that. Anyway, no time for that. He’d sent the interesting fighter’s men food and provided them shelter. His job now was to alert the King about the Daein invasion. Besides laguz and beorc don’t mix. No matter how much he’d like to. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ike shifted restlessly on his bed. If anyone had been there to ask, he would have said he was trying to work out what the day's battle meant to their overall plan. And he *was*  
thinking about that. But he knew that wasn't what was keeping him up. The cat man with the hypnotizing eyes was the real reason. Ike had never seen a sub-hu… no, a laguz before. He’d heard tales of them but this man didn’t seem to fit the slobbering monsters the drunks talked about down at the tavern. This man seemed honorable, a perfect soldier but without the harsh edge most career soldiers developed. While they hadn’t spoken for long, Ike felt a connection. He really wanted to get to know this man. What was his story? What was his day to day life like? What did he do for fun? Why did picturing Ranulf’s smile, fangs and all, bring a flush to his face?

Ike finally got up. He had to find a distraction. There were more important things to be thinking about. Like…why was his father leaving the castle at this hour?

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranulf hurried towards Mordecai. He’d been hunting for the man all afternoon. He wanted an update on the mercenary band they’d found the other day. Ranulf had sent Mordecai and Lethe, a pair of his top warriors, to guide the group to the castle, making sure to give them strict instructions to play nice with the beorcs. He grinned a little, remembering the snarl Lethe gave in response to *that* order. 

“You were correct, Ranulf. The blue-haired one is kind and a friend. Mordecai must confess to accidentally hurting Ike...no no no… nothing bad... but the beorc forgave me and even apologized how his men behaved!” 

“He doesn’t act like a normal beorc, I’ll give him that.” added Lethe with a sniff.

Ike must have been really exceptional to get even that much of a compliment from Lethe, thought Ranulf.

The two beast warriors updated Ranulf on the rest of the news, including the death of Ike’s father, his ascension to Commander, and the Daein troops they met up with again and again.  
Ranulf frowned. The troops were bad news, indeed. He needed to consult with the king and start scouring the countryside.

“Thank you for the update, you two. And thank you especially, Lethe, for not killing any of them.” He chuckled as the cat woman grumbled then started off towards the throne room. Pausing for a moment, without turning around, he asked what was really on his mind.  
“How… how is Commander Ike holding up? It seems like a lot for one man to handle in such a short time.”

Lethe gave him a sharp look but Mordecai sighed, “He is doing as good as he can but he smells of sadness. No fear though. Ike is brave. He worries a great deal about his sister and hasn’t had time to even think about anything but protecting his soldiers. Some of the men left him because he isn’t his father and has different ways.”

Ike stood there for a moment, wondering why he suddenly felt so angry for this man he barely knew. He resumed his walk.  
“Those men weren’t worth the effort anyway, to leave for such a ridiculous reason. Excuse me now. I must find Caineghis.” 

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Ike leaned up against the window, looking down at his people restocking their packs. They’d be leaving soon, escorting Princess Elincia on her continued search for help. So much had happened in the past few days. This felt like the first moment he’d had since following his father out of the castle to try and make sense of events. But nothing made sense. His father’s death, the desertions, Gallia’s inability to give overt help… he couldn’t focus on that. Instead, he just had to push forward. Guard his sister, protect the princess, lead his fighters, punish his father’s killer… that was it for him now. 

Ranulf stopped at the doorway, silently watching the young commander. He could sense what Mordecai was talking about. The sadness hung around him, a bittersweet scent similar to roses just past their prime. He couldn’t tell what Ike was thinking about but his emotions were playing out across his face in the morning sunlight. Unwavering determination settled in the set of his jaw and the tightness around his mouth. But his eyes...Ranulf braced himself against an urge to hug this sad-eyed fighter. He’d given up on the fight to not think about him but wasn’t sure what to do. Stepping back a few steps out of the doorway, he whistled a little to alert Ike and walked forward into the room. 

“Hey, Ike! I heard you're leaving. Going to Begnion with the princess, eh?”

Ike turned, breaking into a wide smile when he saw the laguz.  
“Hello, Ranulf! I was hoping I'd see you. I'd wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I'm glad to have the chance before I leave.”

Ranulf rocked back and forth on his heels.  
“No, thanks needed. You seemed a decent sort from the get-go. We fighters have to watch out for each other sometimes. And now that you have such a dangerous but important task, it makes me seem all the smarter for assisting you.”

Ike laughed, running his fingers through his hair, making it even spikier than normal.  
“Glad to be of service then, although I bet you are plenty smart without my help.”

Ranulf came over next to Ike and glanced out of the window also. He could tell the band was running short-handed. Before he could stop himself, Ranulf settled a hand on Ike’s shoulder.  
“I’m so sorry to hear about your father. From the stories I’ve heard from Caineghis, he was a great man. I’m sure you are a worthy successor from what I’ve seen so far. Those who can’t see it are fools.”

Ike tensed for a moment. Then, without looking over at him, Ike reached up and patted Ranulf’s hand before settling on top of it. It felt comforting.  
“I wish I could hear more of Caineghis’ stories. It seems there was a whole other side to my father I didn’t know. As to the other things...you can’t make everyone happy. The people that counted stayed. And honestly, as long as Soren and Titania are there to help, I think I can pull this off.”

Ranulf squeezed Ike’s shoulder then turned back to the door.  
“Well, in regard to your personnel problems, the king has decided to lend you what aid he can without alerting the council. Lethe! Mordecai!” he called.

The two warrior laguz came around the corner. Ranulf made a sweeping gesture that encompassed the two of them.  
“May I present again, two of my best fighters. They are worth more than a hundred Daein soldiers.”

Ike’s jaw dropped in surprise.  
“Mordecai! And Lethe? Both of you? Are you sure?”

Lethe shuffled uncomfortably while Mordecai grinned behind her  
“None of the others could stand the idea of traveling with humans.” she growled  
“I myself tremble with loathing at the idea of going to Begnion, but...when the king gives an order, obedience is the only option.”

Ike gave a slight bow in their direction.  
“That may be, but having witnessed the combat prowess of the Gallians for myself, I know how fortunate we are, my friends.”

Mordecai gave a return nod. Lethe was not so excited.  
“I've no intention of becoming friends! Do not forget that. And stay out of my way!”

Ranulf chuckled and waved them off to go join the rest of the mercenaries.  
“You must forgive Lethe. Her tongue cuts as deep as her claws do. I will return once I've reported to the king. While I'm gone, please finish your preparations for departure.”

Ike looked startled.  
“Return? You’re not planning to come with us are you?”

“You all need a guide back to Crimea and contacts to find that ship to Begnion.” Ranulf responded, with a puzzled expression. “I figured I’m the best qualified. Is that alright?”

“I...I don’t know what to say. You are overly qualified if everything I hear is true. But I will happily accept your help!”

Ranulf grinned as he backed towards the door.  
“Then it’s settled. I will return shortly.” 

Ike’s smile at this news was so beautiful that the laguz just couldn’t help himself.  
“Besides, I can’t let a face that innocent and sweet looking wander around the ports of Toha alone.” he added with a wink. Darting out the door, Ranulf headed out to round up his supplies.

For the first time in a few days, Ike’s mood lifted a little. Was that laguz just flirting with him? Confused but feeling better, he left to check on his troop.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group traveled for several days, picking up members and information as they went along. During the day, Ike spent most of his time consulting with his advisers, trying to learn everything he could about managing the company while Ranulf scouted the surrounding countryside for the enemy and information. Ike and Ranulf fell into a comfortable pattern of sitting by the fire at night, talking. The topics varied but usually were Ike asking questions about the laguz and the wars that tore through their countries, at least until Ranulf would derail him by asking about his family. Ike loved to talk about his family. Ranulf loved to watch his face as he told stories about his father’s adventures. It lit up and his eyes would sparkle as he got to the exciting parts. 

However, the light would always dim towards the end, as Ike came back to the unpleasant reality of the present. It made Ranulf’s heart hurt to watch but it wasn’t his place to offer comfort, no matter what he wanted to do. Ike had new responsibilities and painful realities to deal with first. Ranulf was happy to be a open ear and do what he could to help his new friend. Anything else would just develop as it may. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“Well Ike, we're here! Welcome to Toha, Crimea's westernmost port city.” 

Ranulf and Ike walked along the peaceful streets, looking at the placid locals going about their business as if their country wasn’t being invaded at that very moment. 

Ike stopped, amazed by what he was seeing.  
“What's with this place? Why aren't they worried about Daein? About the war?”

Ranulf slapped him on the back.  
“It's because, my naive friend, this area is fairly isolated. Daein's army hasn't come this far, and so life goes on as before. People are good at not seeing or caring about what doesn’t affect them directly.” 

Ranulf pulled his travelling cloak a little tighter around him.  
“Now then, I've got to see a man about a ship. While I'm gone, why don't you get your supplies squared away? I'm sure that the journey ahead will require a lot of packing.”

Titania stepped forward.  
“Ranulf, I’ll go with you.”

He waved her off.  
“No, no, that's all right. You should supervise the supply acquisition. You're going to be at sea for months, right?”

“I know that, but…”

Something definitely was bothering his staff officer. Concerned, Ike broke in.  
“What is it, Titania?”

“She's worried about me.” answered Ranulf for her “She doesn't want to leave a solitary laguz wandering around a beorc city.”

For the first time, Ike noticed that Ranulf, Mordecai, and Lethe all had their travel cloaks wrapped around them and their hoods up, all the better to hide the tails and ears that would give away their identify.

“But I thought Crimea and Gallia were allied nations. Why would a wandering laguz be cause for concern?”

Titania jumped in.  
“The friendship between Crimea and Gallia exists only between the ruling classes. It hasn't taken root in the minds of the common citizenry at all.”

Ike mentally kicked himself for not remembering that the prejudice against the laguz ran deep in this country. His three new friends were in danger here.

Ranulf, however, took it all in stride.  
“Things have improved quite a bit since Crimea’s king ascended to the throne. The reports of hunts and such other horrors have all but disappeared... Oh, don't worry, Ike! I'll be fine! I've got connections, see? It's not like I'll be roaming the docks begging for passage.”

As much as he didn’t like it, Ike couldn’t argue with him. But, he watched the laguz melt into the crowd and disappear from sight with some trepidation. After a few minutes of worry, Ike squared his shoulders and returned to his advisers to start working out the specifics of supplying their sea journey.  
\-----------------------------------------------------

After a few hours, the group was ready to go but Ranulf hadn’t returned yet. With each passing hour, Ike got more and more agitated. Had he really let his friend go alone? Why hadn’t he at least asked specifics about where the fighter was going, just in case? Guilt began to gnaw at Ike. What kind of leader was he that he let this happen? What if Ranulf was dead?

However, once the Daein army arrived and started blocking the town exits, Ike had to focus. He decided to start moving everyone towards the docks to try and stay ahead of the searching army. Much to Ike’s relief, as they started towards the docks, Ranulf ran up.

Ranulf had arranged a ship with a man named Nasir. As he was passing the information onto Ike, a woman who wasn’t paying attention to where she was going stumbled into him, knocking back Ranulf’s hood. Looking up to apologize, she froze at the sight of his cat ears and eyes before starting to scream as she backed away.  
“Sub-human! It’s a sub-human! Help!!”

Quickly, an unfriendly crowd formed around the cat laguz. As more and more people joined in, the crowd became harassing and violent. Ike’s heart plummeted. He had to reach his friend!

Mordecai grabbed Ike’s arm.  
“Ike! We must leave while everyone is distracted. All this noise will attract the attention of the Daeins!”

Ike struggled against the beast warrior’s strong grip.  
“What? No! Let me go! We have to help. Look! He isn’t even defending himself! I can’t stand by and watch as he gets murdered!”

With a quick sideways jerk, Ike broke free from Mordecai and rushed to cover Ranulf from the blows of the crowd. The laguz got back on his feet as Ike argued with the unruly mob. For just a moment, he listened to Ike shame his fellow humans for their ignorance, trying to decide if he was in awe of his courage or his stupidity. As the crowd began to call for invading troops to come capture the Gallians, Ranulf knew he had to get the fighter out of here.  
“Ike! Why did you come back? You have to leave!”

“Some fool was going to lay here and get beaten to death instead of defending himself. And...I couldn’t just leave you here to be hurt. Not you, my... nevermind that. Just not you!.”

Despite their circumstances, a smile tugged at the corner of Ranulf’s mouth. He really wished they had some time to further discuss that sentence but now time’s run out.

“Ike, listen to me. I can’t hurt these people. It will destroy the alliance between Crimea and Gallia. And they think you and I are allies now so you can’t hurt them either. No matter how ignorant and blind they are, there is really only one thing to do.”

The rest of the mercenaries pushed the crowd back from the pair but the crowd remained close and their mood became even uglier as the local vigilantes joined them. 

Ike turned to Ranulf, wiping some blood gently off the laguz’s cheek.  
“Let me guess… you’re telling me telling me to avoid the Daein pursuit, leave the town’s people alone, get to the docks as soon as possible, find a man named Nasir, and get everyone on his boat. Is that it?”

Ranulf grinned, tapping the fighter on the nose.  
“Exactly and in that order! I don’t care what anyone else says, I think you’re pretty bright! But, we need to get going NOW!”

“Everyone get together! We’re getting out of here!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hurry up! Get on the ship!”

Ike counted each person as they ran aboard. Finally, he was just missing one. Looking around, Ike spotted him still on the dock. Walking up, he called to him.  
“Ranulf! Come on! It’s time to go!”

Ranulf gave him a sad smile.  
“No, Ike. It’s time for you to go. I’m expected back at the castle. They need to know about this invasion. Maybe I can help convince the council to come to the Princess’ aid in a much more open form.”

He clasped Ike’s shoulders.  
“We each have our jobs to do now. But I promise you, we will meet again. Hopefully sooner rather than later. I have too many things I want to show you in Gallia. And I believe you still owe me a hundred gold since I *did* find us a ship per our bet.”

Ike had been surprised earlier by his sudden protectiveness of Ranulf. But, his sadness now wasn’t one. Instead of replying, he pulled Ranulf into a tight hug. Ranulf clasped him just as hard. They stood there for a minute, forgetting the rest of the dock, just wishing for a few more minutes. Finally, Titania called for Ike from the ship.  
“I’m sorry, Commander, but we have to go.”

With a final squeeze, Ike took a step back. Sighing, Ranulf also stepped back away from Ike, pulling up his hood.  
“We really need to work on timing. Go, Ike of the Greil Mercenaries. Till next we meet, sail swiftly and fight hard. And don’t forget about me.”

Ike smiled, raising his hand in a salute.  
“Go, Ranulf, warrior of Gallia. I look forward eagerly to our next meeting. Stay safe and run fast. And there is *no* way I’m forgetting you.”

They paused for another second, then both turned and went their separate ways. Ike, onto the ship and his band of fighters. Ranulf, back into the city to lead the troops away from the docks. 

Neither looked back.


End file.
